CHAPTER 108: INTO THE DUNGEON

The declaration spread like wildfire. More and more people turned toward the trench, their expressions shifting from terror to disbelief. Shouts rang out from every direction.

"A portal?"

"Impossible, there weren’t supposed to be portals here!"

"What the hell is going on!?"

The already panicked mob dissolved further into disorder.

Some players instinctively backed away, dragging friends with them as though the spiral itself would leap out and consume them.

Others whispered to each other in frantic tones, trying to piece together how the glowing trench had appeared.

Riley stood at the edge of the chaos, watching with narrowed eyes.

The yellow glow from the trench hadn’t even begun to fade when a series of sharp, digital tones rang out in the minds and vision of every player present.

Notifications appeared, hovering in the air like solid, luminous objects, their edges flickering against the darkened sky.

[The Dungeon "Forgotten Depths" has been opened, marking the start of the first event!]

[More "Gates" would appear all over the city, all leading to the dungeon!]

[All players in the city are given one hour to enter the dungeon through one of the gates. Failure to do so would result in instant death!]

[Death Penalty: Unable to log into the game until the event is over, and a permanent 5% deduction in attributes.]

[More information about the rewards would be relayed in the dungeon, good luck players!]

The ground suddenly trembled again, and more trenches were dug open in different parts of the city.

Each of them were gates leading to the underground dungeon, glowing with the same dark yellow hue.

However, the appearance of the new portals only made all the players more nervous.

They murmured frantically, the air thick with fear, confusion, and disbelief.

"Instant death... if we don’t enter?" one shouted, eyes wide as he stumbled backward. His companions grabbed him, trying to steady him.

"Five percent deduction in attributes? Permanently?!" another exclaimed, his voice trembling, hand pressed to his chest as though it would slow the racing heartbeat inside.

"It’s insane... there’s no way we can... just..." someone muttered, trailing off as his words dissolved into panicked breaths.

The messages clearly outlined the rules, the stakes, and the timeline. There was no choice, no negotiation.

This event was meant to dominate them, force them into action, and cull those who hesitated.

Players who had prided themselves on agility or stealth now felt the tension coil around their spines like a vice.

Many subconsciously took a step back from the trench, eyes flicking nervously to the yellow spiral within.

The gruesome fate of those who had fallen earlier became painfully clear. Their screams had stopped, their absence unmistakable. Fear twisted through the crowd like a living thing.

Some began whispering softly to one another, trembling in shared dread. "Do you think they’re... dead?" one asked.

Another shook their head, voice cracking. "No... not dead, probably trapped... maybe worse."

The thought alone was enough to make many freeze in place, hesitant to approach the portal any closer.

Even the boldest warriors now hesitated, caught between instinct and the knowledge that failure meant obliteration, not just defeat.

And yet... the curiosity of some began to outweigh their fear.

The swirling yellow spiral wasn’t merely a threat—it was a mystery, a challenge, a prize dangling just out of reach.

Players in the back of the crowd shifted forward, trying to get a closer look, whispering to their friends.

"What could be inside?" one asked, voice low, awed, and frightened.

"Something... something terrifying, I’m sure," another replied, teeth clenched as they glanced at the portal.

"Or maybe... rewards?" a third muttered hesitantly, biting their lip. "We might get something powerful..."

The crowd split. Some moved farther away, unwilling to risk the unknown. Others edged closer, drawn in by curiosity, ambition, or simple greed.

The tension was palpable, an invisible line stretching between those who would step forward and those who would not.

It didn’t take long before the first brave—or reckless—players made the leap.

One by one, they approached the edge of the trench, trembling hands clutching weapons and gear.

A murmured chorus of "Here goes nothing" and "I don’t have a choice" filled the air.

One bold swordsman, his armour gleaming faintly in the yellow light, stepped forward.

He looked back at his friends, a brief flicker of hesitation in his eyes, and then jumped straight into the swirling vortex.

The yellow glow swallowed him entirely, and he vanished with a scream, leaving his comrades staring in shocked silence.

"That... he’s gone," someone whispered, their voice shaking.

"He didn’t even come out..." another added, eyes wide as they watched the swirling energy consume the figure.

The movement of the first brave—or foolish—player set off a chain reaction. More players stepped forward, some cautiously holding hands with companions, others charging in headfirst.

"We don’t have a choice!" one shouted to a friend beside him. "We’d rather take our chances than die out here!"

"Stick together!" another cried, grabbing the hands of two nearby allies. "Whatever’s in there, we’ll face it as a team!"

And yet, not all succumbed to the pressure.

Several players froze in place, staring at the portal with wide eyes, their knuckles white as they gripped their weapons.

They couldn’t move. Some clutched their chests, shaking in fear. Others whispered prayers to their gods or muttered to themselves, trying to rationalize a way out, a loophole, anything to avoid stepping forward.

The portal’s pull grew stronger as more people vanished into it, as if sensing their hesitation and tugging at them with invisible threads of inevitability.

The swirling yellow spiral writhed and twisted in the trench, dark and light mingling with an almost sentient awareness, beckoning, threatening, daring every player to step in.

The chaos around the portal intensified with each passing second.

Yet Riley remained calm. Standing slightly apart from the chaos, his eyes narrowed, a faint smirk on his face as he observed the swarm of fear and curiosity alike.

The yellow portal pulsed before him, reflecting faint light across his face.

For every player who leaped into the spiral with frantic determination, there were several more frozen in place, trying to rationalize their next move.

The gap between bravery and fear had never been so sharply defined.

And above it all, the threat of the game’s penalty—instant death or a permanent 5% loss of attributes—loomed, driving players like cattle toward the swirling portal.

Some who had initially backed away now began edging closer, unable to resist the pressure of both social expectation and survival instinct.

They whispered among themselves, trying to make sense of what they had just read.

"If we don’t go in, we die."

"And we lose five percent permanently..."

"But what’s inside? What if it’s worse than death?"

"Better risk it than stay out here..."

One by one, more players jumped in, clutching at weapons, spellbooks, and trinkets, disappearing into the yellow spiral with shrieks, cries, or sometimes only stunned silence.

The trench became a whirlpool of vanishing bodies, a stark demonstration of the game’s ruthlessness.

The glow pulsed rhythmically, almost like a heartbeat, sending waves of energy across the cracked ground and shaking nearby debris.

The few who hesitated too long began muttering curses or shaking their heads, finally realizing they had no way out other than to step into the vortex or risk the system’s deadly penalty.

Riley, however, did not hesitate.

He stepped through the crowd, his figure weaving silently between the frightened players and scrambling NPCs.

The air around the trench was hot, charged with a strange, oppressive energy that felt far too real to be part of any so-called "game."

As he drew nearer, a few voices trailed behind him.

"Is that guy crazy? Walking straight into it?"

"What a stupid decision... why risk your life like that?"

"He’s probably just desperate for rewards. Not worth it if you ask me."

The words came sharp, but muted quickly by nervous laughter. It was the sound of people clinging to denial, trying to convince themselves they still had a choice.

Some muttered louder, almost defiantly.

"The system’s bluffing. There’s no way they’d actually kill us off just for not participating. It’s just a game at the end of the day!"

"Exactly. They wouldn’t risk losing players over some dumb event. It’s just a scare tactic."

Their words were brave, but their eyes betrayed them. Fear glinted in them, edged with uncertainty.

Several others had already logged out, their bodies vanishing into particles of white light.

They believed they had escaped the madness, convinced they could sit this event out and return when things had calmed down.

What they didn’t know—what none of them yet realized—was that the system’s penalty would strike them all the same.

Once the hour ran out, every logged-out player would receive the same punishment as those who died. A permanent five percent reduction in attributes.

No one would escape.

Riley paid no attention to the murmurings. He reached the edge of the trench, standing before the swirling dark yellow portal.

It churned like a spiral of molten sand, devouring the air around it with an eerie pull.

Sparks of yellow lightning flickered across its edges, like the jaws of some great beast snapping at the world beyond.

He stared at it for a long moment, his eyes narrowing, reflecting the spiraling glow. His shadow stretched across the cracked ground, thin and sharp under the distorted light.

Then, his lips curled. A grin.

Without hesitation, he bent his knees and jumped forward.

The instant his body touched the swirling light, the air seemed to ripple. His figure was consumed whole, vanishing from sight as if it had never been there.